Nigeria’s Rivers Hoopers advance to 2024 BAL Playoffs
Sports
NIGERIA’S Rivers Hoopers beat Rwanda’s Armée Patriotique Rwandaise, APR, 78-71 in the first-ever BAL double-overtime game and became the first Sahara Conference team to clinch a spot in the BAL Playoffs which are set to tip off at BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda on May 24.
Five Hoopers players scored in double digits with Devine Eke (18 points, 18 rebounds) and Peter Olisemeka (17 points, 19 rebounds) dominating the boards as well. Will Perry added 11 points and seven assists in a low scoring affair in which both teams shot less than 40 percent from the floor. Jean Jacques Nshobozwabyosenumukiza led APR with 16 points and five rebounds, while Dario Hunt finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists. Going into today’s matchups, APR is currently second in the Sahara Conference and will look to secure a postseason berth when they take on Senegal’s AS Douanes (4th place with 2 wins and 3 losses) this evening. In the second game of the day, the 2022 BAL champions Tunisia’s US Monastir kept their playoff hopes alive, defeating AS Douanes 75-69 and getting their second straight win in the competition.
This is a turnaround for the Tunisian champions who started the Sahara Conference from three straight defeats, but now stand one win away from the postseason. Chris Crawford led Monastir with 18 points and seven assists, Oussama Marnaoui scored 16, and Firas Lahyani finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Abdoulaye Harouna led the Douanes with 22 points, with Adama Diakhite adding 14 points and nine rebounds. APR, AS Douanes and US Monastir will compete for the last two playoff spots when the Sahara Conference concludes this afternoon – Rivers Hoopers will take on US Monastir at 2:30 p.m. GMT and AS Douanes will face APR at 5:30 p.m. GMT.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Basketball Africa League (BAL).
A.
-May 14, 2024 @ 09:50 GMT|
Related Posts
Guardiola open to Man City stay – Friday’s gossip
PEP Guardiola is open to extending his stay at Manchester City, Barcelona rejected huge Lamine Yamal bid in summer, and...
Read MoreBangladesh coach sacked for misconduct
BANGLADESH have sacked men’s head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe for “misconduct” and “breach of employment terms”. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB)...
Read MoreVerstappen to continue giving minimal answers
MAX Verstappen says he will continue his stance of giving minimal answers in official Formula 1 news conferences at this...
Read MoreMost Read
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Keep abreast of news and other developments from our website.